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8/26/2013 9:35AM

Syria Expert: U.S. Should Have Armed Rebels

Washington Institute's Andrew Tabler explains the U.S. helping to arm Syrian moderate rebels over the past several years is a major cause for extremists in the country to be able to inflict such widespread violence. Photo: AP.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... the the ... three injured Tabler senior fellow at the Washington ... Institute now to morte and you ... good morning ... first off ... opening what what what are you seeing at this point what what what is what is most consequential ... these days the you're seeing in Syria ... I think that the big problem that we have the moment is that ... it's not just that the weapons inspectors are going to that area and coming under fire ... is that the regime delayed for five days there and they're inspections ... and shelled the area in their absence ... and in the in the team has only lived ... related to determine ... if weapons of in ... this chemical agents of the news it's not like to assess blame ... so some of us all this problem I think that ... that that the combined reasons ... are the reason why the Obama administration ... has announced that it's it's too late for the asset regime ... to comply and that further action is gonna be a I'm you know under way the question is what this point when and answer the question what you expect ... I needed a hat ... it seems pinpointed airstrikes using Tomahawk cruise missiles ... on different areas in Syriana may be different with the ... regime elements that purportedly use these weapons ... to the UN Committee control ... of the problem is now the scale if you get a lot of sites ... I'm here to many that collateral damage to the hit to view us it doesn't get the message he uses the weapons yet again the nice use them in the past according to U S intelligence assessments ... and that we we need him to stop doing that ... because ... the overall it's making the were much worse ... and causing refugees to spell out of Syria in record numbers and your we've been trying to get ... the Russians on board to support this presumably ... I seek I Security Council U N Security Council resolution of some kind ... at this point is that even possible and ... does it matter we disconnect unilaterally ... no it's not gonna happen I think ... Russia is to give a clear position with the regime has consistently ... in in in the end of ... the resolution is not needed in this instance ... by we tell the coalition and ... you're looking at ad hoc coalitions ... and probably intervention similar because of other without makeup ... so in this instance were looking at Western European allies with United States ... Britain France where all the Kipper Press Canada and I'm also looking at Middle Eastern ally Saudi Arabia Qatar Turkey ... Jordan ... and that coalition countries could carry out that these punitive strikes on the asset regime ... for the use of chemical weapons ok and to stay there Sam Dagher out Wall Street Journal reporter in Damascus I wanna bring you back in ... the sea and how dangerous is it for reporters in Syria right now ... what you ... think would be within the city shall the city center Schueler relatively ... up items they say about the ... state and the kids up UBS forecasts following on the onthe center and amenities of the fire ... read ... more on the streets of the city ... um I'm very tense situation but so far I think the biggest expansion ... says Sam thanks so much Andrew I wanna bring you back in for one last question this hour and a great story anyone today about how the Saudis are making ... a big push to get Assad remove ... eye and tell us what why the dead set on it and does it make sense for us to help them ... well ... done among the opposition ranks we had two major trends ... we had and as a secular nationalist trend ... and that we have the extremists ... among them genitals to an al Qaeda affiliates ... unfortunately by not arming the moderates are the last two years ... I we have instead allow those ... in the Arab Gulf and elsewhere a lot of private individuals to find extremists and that they're the best are ... on and we needed we develop the moderate forces inside the Syrian opposition ... in order that in in the end ... this post outside Syria the we have a nationalist government that's in line with US interests ... ok Andrew Tabler Washington Institute senior fellow thank so much for joining us ... my pleasure